Edwards nails down first pole at Autobahn

John Edwards paced Friday's qualifying for race one of the double-header
Atlantic Championship weekend at the Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, Ill.,
at the first professional road racing event in Chicago in over 40 years.
At a time of 2:04.600,...

John Edwards paced Friday's qualifying for race one of the double-header
Atlantic Championship weekend at the Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, Ill.,
at the first professional road racing event in Chicago in over 40 years.

At a time of 2:04.600, it is the first career pole for 18-year-old
Edwards in his second season of Atlantic, coming at the Harrah's
Autobahn Grand Prix presented by Mazda.

"When I saw the number come up on the dash, I couldn't believe it,"
Edwards said. "The car has been great all day."

"It's not only my first pole, it's a pole by half a second. I can't say
enough," he added. "The only word I could say when I came in the pits was
'awesome.' I mean, I was the only one in the 2:04s the whole session, and
especially I got there quickly and could stay there longer than anyone
could."

He also led the morning's practice session on the 3.56-mile road course
at 2:05.539. In both cases, Edwards was the only driver in that second.

Simona de Silvestro, the series' points leader after winning three of
the first five events, starts second in her Team Stargate Worlds entry.
She got into the 2:05 range at 2:05.092 but it wasn't good enough to
eclipse Edwards.

"It was a pretty tough session but I'm happy with starting P2, because I
think it's pretty easy for somebody to do a mistake," de Silvestro said.
"Maybe we can get a chance to pass in the race. Most importantly is to start
on the front row."

De Silvestro is squeezed in a Newman Wachs Racing sandwich, as Jonathan
Summerton of NWR starts from third. Summerton timed in at 2:05.594, nearly a
second off his teammate in an almost identical setup.

"The car is fighting some bad understeer, it's bad loose," Summerton
remarked. "I don't know what it is about this place. It's hitting the
bumps really hard."

Summerton hoped to qualify on the front row but admitted he has not
fully come to grips with the setup of his Newman Wachs car he piloted
last year. He opened the first four races of 2009 driving for Genoa
Racing.

Tonis Kasemets in the understaffed but not short on effort entry for
Polestar Motor Racing rolls off fourth, with Frederic Vervisch of Genoa
Racing completing the top-five on the grid.